6th Week – Pregnancy and Heartburn

It’s my 6th week of pregnancy and I have been experiencing heartburn. Since the first few weeks of my pregnancy, I always feel bloated. I have done a few readings and I learned that heartburn is to be expected in early pregnancy. My stomach feels really hard and I keep on burping.

There are foods to avoid during pregnancy. These foods trigger acid reflux. But in my experience, everything that I eat causes heartburn! What to eat now????

If you are pregnant too and experiencing what I am going through, here are some information that will help you better understand the reasons behind heartburn in early pregnancy. I found them really helpful and hopefully, you learn from them too.

In early pregnancy, heartburn is caused by the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the uterine muscles to fit your growing baby – and also relaxes the valve between the esophagus and the stomach. – http://www.thebump.com

One of the key contributing factors to experiencing more gas during pregnancy is the increased levels of progesterone. Progesterone is a hormone that causes the muscles throughout your body to relax. … This allows gas to build up easier and creates bloating,burping and of course flatulence. – americanpregnancy.org

Heartburn (also called acid indigestion or acid reflux) is a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of the breastbone to the lower throat. It’s caused by some of the hormonal and physical changes in your body. During pregnancy, the placenta produces the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus. This hormone also relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up, which causes that unpleasant burning sensation. Progesterone also slows down the wavelike contractions of your esophagus and intestines, making digestion sluggish. Later in pregnancy, your growing baby crowds your abdominal cavity, pushing the stomach acids back up into the esophagus. – babycenter.com

Remember the old wives tale that heartburn causes hairy baby? Well, this is me right now:

Well, let’s see if the heartburn will go away in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.